


Nearly Witches

by GaryTheFish



Series: Hope is a Four Letter Word [42]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Halloween, Loki - Canon Divergence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 06:56:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8046619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaryTheFish/pseuds/GaryTheFish
Summary: Involving sparkly door hangings, holiday celebrations, and a biologist (not so) quietly losing his mind.(no pumpkin spice was harmed in the making of this fic.)





	Nearly Witches

_\- “Everything changes. Isn’t that what you told me once?” -_

_And just like that, they have evolved again._

_It is not as though he has never taken a lover. It is not as though he has never loved. He loved Signe, for his part, and he recognizes it for what it was, but the memory cannot hold a candle to what lies within him now. It is as though he is filled with banked coals; they smolder and warm him, fire flickering along their edges, but a single breath can stoke them into an inferno. He wonders if it is due to his newfound mortality, that, like the humans around him, his love, his devotion burns hotter than any seen on other realms because it lacks the long, slow march of years to temper it. But the more he thinks, the less he believes the truth of it. The seeds for what he feels now were planted well before Odin stripped him of everything, inadvertently leaving room for what followed after. The books. The arguments. The hours of gaming, and teasing, and the strange, companionable silences through the long days in his cell. The pieces were set, the kindling laid, the path carved, and he wonders how hard the Norns laugh at him these days, twisted and knotted as his life’s skein has surely become._

_Some days are crowded with negotiations, office hours and planning meetings for the upcoming field season, still several months away but approaching too rapidly for her liking; on these days, they tumble exhausted into bed with a kiss and a promise. Some nights they are a charming stereotype, and their evenings are filled with neglected dinners, abandoned projects, and a line of clothing strewn neatly from the front door to the bedroom, if they even make it that far. Sometimes they are content merely to curl together - to talk, to explore, to learn. They hold a brief, meaningful ceremony when she moves her toothbrush into the holder next to his, and every night as he drifts to sleep with her in his arms, he swears he cannot love her more than he already does._

_And every day, without fail, he is proven wrong._

_***_

A quick morning trip to Portobello Road was apparently impossible, and they wandered into the lobby of their high-rise apartment building long after noon, both laden with bags. Loki had found a veritable treasure trove of supplies for his commissions, and he looked forward to spending at least part of the weekend working on Parker’s gift. The commission from the bookshop in Charing Cross was over halfway done, so he felt as though he could commit more than a few hours to the worn copy of _On The Origin Of Species_ he was transforming into something more. The extra chapters he had created on Thor, Aeslin and Banner were finally ready to be added to the end, along with the blank pages meant for Parker’s own discoveries.

They stopped briefly at the front desk, and the young woman behind the counter smiled at them.

“Afternoon, Melia,” Loki said. “Any mail?”

“I think so,” she replied. “Just a moment.”

She returned a minute later with a small, tidy stack; she handed it over, then reached for something beneath the counter. “Jack o’lantern?”

He stared dumbly at the decoration in her hand, tastefully doused in glitter and neatly laminated. “Yes, it is,” he managed, and she grinned.

“Would you like one? Halloween’s not for a couple of weeks yet, but we prefer to give people a bit of time to prepare.”

Loki shifted the bags in his hands as he glanced over at Aeslin, then back at Melia. “Whyever would we need it?”

“We get a lot of trick or treaters around here,” came the reply. “We’re a controlled, fairly central spot with a good haul for the kids almost guaranteed, plus parties on almost every floor. We started noticing an uptick in visitors a few years back; we did a survey with the residents. The response was positive, so now we’re the place to come for the parents around here who want their little ones to have fun in a safe space. You’re not required to participate, by any stretch. Rule number one is that they’re not allowed to bother those without pumpkins on the door, and it’s strictly enforced. Didn’t you read the newsletter this month?”

“Nope,” he replied, and she grinned.

“Zero for three.”

“I do hate to ruin a streak,” Loki admitted.

“So. Pumpkin.”

“I don’t really think that-”

Aeslin reached across him and took the sparkling paper. “We’d love one.”

She inspected the decoration on the elevator ride to their floor. “Guess this means we need to do a little extra shopping. I’ll have to ask around to see how much we’ll need.”

He grinned. “Alternatively, we could shower them with confetti and tell them they’re six months too early. I think you’ve got your holidays mixed again.”

“It is kind of a mess,” she agreed. “Sort of Walpurgis, not quite Samhain.”

Loki’s voice was firm. “Wintersnight. It’s _Winters_ night. Five days to signal the beginning of the Wild Hunt, which is honestly more fun than it has any right to be. A time to celebrate with wild abandon and to welcome winter with open arms. A feast to honor and remember-” he broke off suddenly, glad that their elevator was slowing, but she finished for him.

“To remember the dead.” A look flashed across her face as the door opened. “As if it’s possible to forget them.”

He winced slightly as she led the way to their flat, her bags bumping gently against her leg. She unlocked the door; they deposited purchases and mail on the table, and Loki pulled her to him.

“Sorry,” he said against her hair. “I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”

Aeslin reached up and smoothed out the wrinkle between his brows. “It’s all right,” she told him, thumb stroking across his face. He sighed.

“Promise?” he asked.

Her smile was small but luminous, and Loki cupped his hands around her face as though to protect it like a candle flame. She leaned up, brushing her lips across his, her voice quiet.

“I promise.”

***

It had taken a remarkably short amount of time, even for Tony, to realize that he missed Saturdays.

He still had them, of course, but they were different than they’d been for the past several months, and he wasn’t sure he liked the change. He tried everything he could think of, from picking up golf to starting company softball games, but nothing seemed to work. It was time to face facts.

He missed pancakes on the beach. He missed _them_ , and as always, once he realized the problem, he set to work rectifying it. A few calls here and there, a set of rapid negotiations (and if that was how he behaved in the boardroom, Stark realized, Loki was due for _rather_ a large raise,) and Sunday games were born. Five in the evening in London, early enough to allow several hours of play without sabotaging Aeslin’s Monday morning classes. Nine a.m. sharp Malibu time, and if it meant that Tony gave up a bit (more than a bit) of his weekend sleep, he didn’t mind half as much as he thought he would. The barista down the street had been startled the first time he’d stumbled into the coffee shop at eight in the morning and growled wordlessly toward the espresso machine, but she’d recovered quickly. She now had Tony’s beverage going as soon as he made it all the way through the shop door.

The first few evenings had gone off with barely a hitch, and Tony was inordinately pleased with himself about it. He grinned at the barista, dropped his normal fifty into the tip jar for her and waved as he let himself out onto the street. He pulled up a phone number and dialed as he went back to his waiting car. Parker picked up on the second ring, sounding only slightly muffled.

“‘Sup?”

“Game day, kickoff in one hour. You in?”

“Absolutely. What should I bring?”

“Still got that bucket of Red Vines?”

There was a brief pause on the other end. “You want me to run through Malibu carrying a five and a half pound tub of licorice?”

Tony scoffed. “Well, my _original_ thought was that you would drive it over like a normal person, but now that you mention it...”

“I’ll just bring a camelback full of syrup. How’s that?”

That earned Parker a full laugh. “And you say _I’m_ crazy?” Tony said. “Just come as you are. Half an hour.”

“That’s not a lot of time to get out to the mansion.”

“Then I guess you’d better run fast.”

***

Pepper was gone on a meeting, and it was only Tony, Rhodey and Parker. They arranged themselves as they generally did, in prototype gaming chairs that allowed easy access to drinks, snacks and laptops hooked to dual monitors. Another, larger screen was set up along the wall, though with only the three of them in the room, there was no need for it, and it remained dark. Parker hadn’t brought the Red Vines, which didn’t surprise Tony, but he had hauled a dozen bagels and two small tubs of flavored cream cheese from the local deli across town in his backpack, which _did_ surprise him. However, the more Tony thought of it, the less it surprised him, given the way in which Loki and Aeslin had argued for their right to contribute to game days, and Stark realized that Parker was no different. He and Aeslin were cut from the same cloth; they believed friends provided for each other, and that was that, and if Tony didn’t realize he could be on the receiving end, too, well, he’d figure it out with enough work.

Stark’s monitors were set up like the others in the room; one held the game board, and the other showed a split screen of Loki and Aeslin’s camera feeds. The two of them played on separate laptops, usually within arms’ reach of each other. They would occasionally show up each other’s feeds, reaching over to grab something or crossing behind on an errand.

“You guys ready?”

“Almost,” came Aeslin’s voice from offscreen. Her hands came into view for a brief moment, depositing a plate and tumbler next to Loki’s keyboard, and Tony watched him smile up at her.

“Thanks, love,” he said, and she trailed a hand across his shoulders as she moved to her own spot, which tonight seemed to be across the table from him.

She dropped into her seat, cracked her knuckles, and grinned at Tony. “Ready,” she said, settling back and taking a drink. “Let’s do this.”

“Okay, folks,” Tony replied. “Roll to see who judges first.” A touch on his screen; seven red cards were dealt to every player, cheerful apples on the back of every one, and the game begun.

They were finished with the fifth round and were ready to start the sixth when Loki glanced over at Aeslin. “Refill?” he asked, and she nodded. He leaned forward, henley shifting a little on his chest as he stretched to grab her cup, and then he stood and moved off screen. “Keep going without me,” he continued. “I won’t be a moment.”

Aeslin clicked on the deck, and the green card flipped over.

“Evil,” she read. “Wicked, corrupt, depraved. And, go.”

Tony had barely begun sorting through his choices when the chat bubble popped up at the bottom of his screen. He clicked on it.

_Boy Wonder: I’ve got a hickey at 7:30._

He blinked, then blinked again, then started typing.

 _Full disclosure doesn’t mean_ **_full_ ** _disclosure, kid. What part of “do you want in on game day” did you interpret as “tell me all your filthy personal habits and/or weekend plans?”_

There was a brief pause, and Tony chose his card; it dropped into the virtual pile and was shuffled beneath the rest. Loki had returned and added his selection. After confirming that the others had put theirs in as well, Aeslin flipped them over. She studied them in silence.

“Creamed corn? Really? Who put _that_ one in?”

“It _is_ ,” Tony confirmed. “It _so_ is.”

Another bubble at the bottom of his screen, and then several more in rapid succession.

_Boy Wonder: NOT ME DUMBASS_

_Boy Wonder: Loki. Sternum. 730, maybe 745_

_Boy Wonder: make him lean forward again you’ll see it_

Rhodey spoke up. “I don’t know where you all are getting your creamed corn, but that is a _lie_. You just haven’t had it from the right place.”

Loki grinned. “Cajun grandma?”

“Damn _skippy_ , and whichever of y’all put that down there should be ashamed of yourself.”

 _I am_ **_not_ ** _going to make him lean forward,_ Tony typed rapidly. _For once in my life, I am going to take someone else’s word for it because there has to be a_ **_line_** _, son, and I draw it at asking the god of mischief to flash me during game night._ He thought for a second. _At least when we’re both sober._

“Evil,” Tony said to cover the noise of his keyboard. “The very personification thereof. Check the dictionary. The encyclopedia. In fact, I’m looking it up on Wikipedia right now.”

Aeslin shook her head as she continued to review the cards. “Not an acceptable research source, and someday my students are going to believe me when I tell them that. Anyone can edit it.”

“ _Can_ they? That explains a few things.”

Another blip.

 _Boy Wonder: DON’T YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS OMG MY BABIES MY BABIES ARE MAKING BABIES AND THAT MEANS THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE BABIES AND I WILL BE AN UNCLE OR AN AUNT AND I DON’T EVEN CARE WHICH AND OMG_ **_OMG LITTLE BLACK HAIRED GREEN EYED BAAAAABIES HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM ABOUT THIS_ **

Tony sighed as he glanced over at Parker, who was practically vibrating with the effort of keeping himself together. He then looked at his second monitor, which showed Aeslin still studying the cards and Loki looking a little concerned.

 _First_ , he typed to Parker, _that’s a pretty big assumption you’re making there._ Tony sent the message, then continued typing. _Second, maybe the fact that it was supposed to be at least sort of hidden should tell you something about-_ but it was already too late.

“Are you well, Parker?” came Loki’s smooth voice. “You look a little-”

Tony’s head came up so fast that he almost fell backward. “He’s fine,” he said at almost the same time. “I think he was just going to go get us more popcorn. _Weren’t_ you, Parker?”

The young man was typing frantically. “ _They’re making babies, not assumptions_ ,” muttered Parker without looking up, a little louder than he should have; he was clearly only reading what he had just typed and what was meant for Tony alone. The biologist clapped both hands over his mouth the second he realized what he’d done and stared helplessly at his monitor.

A vast silence dropped across the room. Tony smacked a hand to his forehead and leaned back in his chair, peeking through his fingers after a second to see Loki staring at Parker, completely nonplussed, with Aeslin and Rhodes wearing matching expressions. Parker dropped his head to the table, ears bright red, and pulled his hood over his face.

After a long second, Rhodes cleared his throat. “You know, I’m leaning more toward creamed corn, the more I think about it.”

Not taking her eyes off Parker, Aeslin tapped a button, sending both the red and the green cards over to Tony’s workstation; the system marked a point for him on the scoreboard. “Yeah,” she said. “So am I.”

***

“Should have let him stew longer than two hours.” Tony’s voice came through the speaker on Loki’s phone, and he chuckled as he tucked the final paperwork into a folder.

“Might as well have asked us to kick a puppy,” Loki replied. “Slaughter a baby unicorn, maybe. I’m frankly surprised Aeslin lasted as long as she did. Besides, he was harder on himself than we ever could have been.”

“True enough. Did his flowers get there?”

“They were waiting in her office Monday morning. Yellow roses. Had the whole department wondering what _I’d_ done wrong, of course.”

A snort. “Of course.”

“I hate to cut this short,” Loki said, pulling on his jacket, “but we’re supposed to have visitors this evening. I’ve got to run; I’ll drop this by Legal on my way.”

“Good work, as always,” Stark offered, and Loki could almost hear his grin through the speakers. “Happy Halloween.”

***

The pumpkin was already on the door when he arrived home, and he shook his head with a smirk as he walked past. She’d set up the Goblin’s Teeth board; the house smelled of cinnamon and cloves, and there was a documentary on a haunted something-or-other on the television to serve as ambiance.

They played off and on; the game wasn’t particularly vicious this evening, since it was interrupted every little while by a timid knock or a ring of the doorbell. In between the parade of ghosts, princesses, ninjas and whatever else traipsed across their doorstep, they chatted and drank hot cider while trading gentle barbs and kisses over their game.

Another knock toward the end of the evening; Loki stretched as he stood, carefully putting the hourglass back in its holder. “I’m up,” he said. “No cheating.”

She grinned, then headed to the back of the house, presumably to get a hoodie to keep the encroaching cool of the evening at bay. Loki strolled to the front door and opened it.

A small group of children stood in a cluster in the hallway; one of the older ones began to say something but stopped almost immediately and gazed at Loki with his mouth slightly open. Loki was sure his own face held the same look as he stared back at a miniature version of Tony Stark in full Iron Man armor with visor pushed up. He began to notice details on the group - the goatee expertly drawn on with what appeared to be eyeliner, the giant green hands that covered one little girl’s arms nearly to the elbow, a boy in the back with a bow and a vest. He recovered as best he could.

“You appear to be missing someone,” he said with a smile to the mini-Iron Man, who turned desperately down the hall.

“Shaun. _Shaun_. Hurry up, guys,” he hissed.

A boy, presumably Shaun, came jogging toward them and stopped. Loki took in the shield, the mask and inwardly nodded at the young man’s accuracy. He froze, however, when he saw the two that came last.

First was a young man. Dressed in black, scabbards strapped to both legs, dark hair brushed smoothly back from the forehead. He was followed by a little girl dressed in the same outfit. Instead of carrying weapons, though, wisps of white gauze dangled from her sleeves; her hands were dusted in iridescent glitter. Tight black curls were already beginning to escape a hairstyle so familiar that Loki could have done it with his eyes closed.

Loki and the children stood silently in the hall for a long moment, just staring at each other; a sort of reverence bloomed in the small faces. The boy in black hadn’t moved, but Loki met his eyes again and he jerked as though shocked.

“You’re him. You’re actually _him_. Holy _shit_.”

“Language,” Loki said automatically, and a too-short Captain America reached over without taking his eyes from Loki and gently closed the other kid’s mouth. With a smile, Loki indicated each one. “Let’s see. Iron Man.” He nodded to the petite blond girl, in her torn jeans and green gloves. “Hulk. Captain America, goes without saying. Hawkeye, there in the back, and I think I see a Thor, as well. Where’s your Black Widow?”

“Scouting the next floor,” lisped the tiny Hulk. “She’ll be right back.”

An appreciative nod. “An excellent plan. I have it on good authority that they've got Galaxy bars up there.” He crouched in front of the dark-haired girl.

“And who might you be, little one?”

There was a pause. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “The news called her Valkyrie, but I don’t think that’s her real name.”

Loki shook his head. “It’s not,” he replied. “Her name is Aeslin. Would you like to meet her?”

Wide brown eyes gave him all the answer he needed, and he smiled as he straightened. “Love?” he called into the house, and heard a faint reply. “Come here, would you? There are some people I’d like you to meet.” He smirked at the boy in the Iron Man armor. “And bring the good stuff with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the song by Panic! at the Disco.
> 
> Beta read by the fantastical Xogs. All errors are my own. Feedback appreciated! This one got a little out of control, but I very much like it, and I hope you do, too! (tell me if you do. GO ON. tell me.)
> 
> Love you all! <3


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